Dragon’s Bloodline — Chapter 66

A Battle of Pursuit

For the battle between the Ogress army and the Cordovan army, it started advantageous for the Ogress army.
First of all, Cordova was fighting to withdraw and did not have enough goods on hand. That’s why it wasn’t possible for them to set up their usually strong encampment.
So with the Ogress army facing them in the eyes, and without even the previous encampment to retreat to as well, they had to take formation and fight.

Meanwhile, the Ogress army had completed all of its preparations.
They occupied the strategic positions and attacked the Cordovan army from the high ground.

I was commanded by the Casalian knight order’s vice-captain, Reyas. He was a militaristic man renowned even in other countries.
He had Casalia’s thirty thousand infantry assault them head on.
They were facing Cordova’s infantry, which numbered the same. And although their skill was about equal with each other, Cordova had more experience.
Manesh’s thirty thousand soldiers were gradually encircling the Cordovan army. As for Cordova’s cavalrymen, about the same number of cavalrymen were holding them back.
So far their equipment had been overwhelmingly better, so for Cordova that had completed enhanced training, this was the first time they had faced forces that fought evenly with them.

Until then, they oppressed their enemies, encircled them, and trampled their very existences.
Contrasting that, Casalia and Manesh’s entire armies were given equipment by their nations and trained. They were not an army that would just bend over for them.
And so if there was no difference in their soldiers’ qualities, the main problems became strategy and numbers.
As for strategy, the Cordovan army that had acquired actual combat experience surpassed them regarding things related to organic militaristic movements.
However, most importantly, their numbers were different.
Their cavalry was being encircled and prevented from doing their job, and their infantry was half surrounded by double their number. In that kind of a situation, the fact that Cordova’s control hadn’t collapsed was abnormal.

So Reyas, seeing how it was playing out, instinctively wanted to let out a sigh.
However, that would be bad for him to do.
As long as this perfect situation continued, they probably wouldn’t be able to lose. However, the enemy’s forces held up their defense and they didn’t have the strength for a final push.
Fighting for half of a day, Cordova still hadn’t given way. Usually, it wouldn’t be off for order to have already collapsed.

As for the military strength they had on reserve, there were one hundred ogre troops. If they could leverage their ballistic strength, they might be able to win.
But if they couldn’t do it with that either, they would probably have no choice but to retreat from injury and consider it a draw.
On the other hand, even if they gradually wore down their opponent through a war of attrition, it couldn’t be called that good of a method.
Cordova still had a large amount of soldiers left in their own country and it wasn’t like that for the Casalian forces. Casalia’s reinforcements were scheduling a second group, but their ability to mobilize couldn’t match Cordova’s due to the distances involved.
Not to mention Manesh’s soldiers, they were elites. It would take time to restore them if they lost even one.

They could win if forced into a battle of attrition. However, it would mean their defeat in the war as a whole.
Reyas instinctively held respect towards the enemy’s troops and commanders.
However, a war couldn’t come to an end with just respect.
“Have the ogre troops charge.”
Their strongest war potential pierced into Cordovan lines head on.
Even so, Cordova’s battle formation didn’t collapse.
Reyas couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of training their troops went through to endure this colossal disadvantage.
He began to think about some means to end the battle.
Then, Ria’s army arrived.

Having just experienced a victorious battle under Ria’s command, there were seven thousand dauntless soldiers.
They struck directly at the back of the Cordovan army.
Although Cordova didn’t relax its guard, Ria’s army was simply too fast.
“Follow me!”
Ria shouted at the lead, entering the sea of the Cordovan army.
If they defeated a general, they could be promoted. With that thought, the rest recklessly thrust in as well.

Cordova’s forces collapsed.
Their leaders’ location was at the back of their infantry forces, but Ria’s charge annihilated them as well.
Although they obviously didn’t kill everyone, they terminated their entire chain of command.
From this moment, the Cordovan army was no longer an army. It became a group of free soldiers.

Carla and Fio lead the cavalry to look over the battle from a slightly elevated hill.
They were certainly winning the battle. However, they couldn’t see Ria among the soldiers.
“Carla-sama… aren’t you worried?”
Fio asked in a whisper. The reason was because Carla held a nonchalant attitude.
“I can’t say that I’m not worried. However, just how strong is that person? I know, as I’ve fought her directly.”
“Eh, Carla-sama has fought with Hime-sama?”
She was surprised and didn’t know that Ria had defeated Carla, who had even killed a dragon. The reason is because Guinevere didn’t wish for the information to spread.
“Yes. It was my complete defeat. That girl is likely stronger than even a dragon. Even if she were staring down not even thirty thousand troops but three hundred thousand, it wouldn’t make a difference. Someone that could defeat her may only be someone like the hero or demon king.”
She had thought that Ria’s strength was about the same as Reyas’ from back in Casalia. However, even a person who had killed a dragon was no match for Ria.
Fio gained a new worry as to how she’d managed to confess to someone as outrageous as that.
“Soon it will be the infantry’s turn.”
Carla muttered. The collapsing Cordovan infantry was quickly being killed off. The cavalrymen that saw this happening attempted to escape towards their home, Cordova.

“Serge, Fio, please do not stray from me.”
At Carla’s words, both Serge who was on Rudolph’s back and Fio who was mounted on a horse tensed.
However, Serge used natural law magic and didn’t sense any hostile reactions. [1]
“… There doesn’t seem to be any enemies nearby though…”
“It might not be an enemy. Even so, we are being watched.”
Even Rudolph didn’t notice it with this distance.
It might not be an enemy. For now, at least.
However, Carla wasn’t able to ignore the feeling of a gaze attempting to steal her away. [2]

Cordova’s injuries continued to spread.
It even had to continue fighting with its path of retreat cut off.
The final blow was dealt by Carla’s three thousand cavalry sweeping down.
Just like its infantry, Cordova’s cavalry also collapsed.
Those cavalrymen that had attempted to escape were caught by the Ogress army’s cavalry and killed this time.
The final damages were twenty thousand taken captive with eight thousand killed or wounded. This was an unthinkably successful victory.
The casualties they suffered amounted to less than one tenth of that.

The Ogress cavalrymen obstinately chased the Cordovan soldiers that ran away.
Crossing national borders, they continued chasing all the way until they reached a gigantic constructed fortress.
Ria nearly spearheaded into it, but stopped just before the fortress.
Naturally, all of the cavalry stopped as well. Reyas, who was leading them, naturally stopped as well.

“Your highness! If we continue to charge, we can take the fortress.”
Reyas’ heart had become hotblooded. They had successfully completed a landslide victory against Cordova. Those military results were necessary to use for maximum gain.
However, Ria was calm.
“The purpose of this battle was to rescue Salf and destroy Cordova’s army. That has already been achieved.”
“But if we use this chance, we can capture the fortress!”
There was something known as momentum in war. With their current power, they could even overrun this impregnable fortress. That was Reyas’ view.
But as Ria said, that was not the purpose for this battle.
“We already have tens of thousands of Cordovan infantry prisoners to process, but we are not finished yet. With what we have on hand, could we head to the next battle? With the war potential being three times as much at most?”
Speaking to there, Reyas also saw what Ria was speaking of.

They had successfully repulsed Cordova’s army. This would very likely be hugely impactive for propaganda.
And they had to process the prisoners of war. This was certainly also important.
And yet still, Reyas still seemed to lose to the temptation of capturing the fortress before them.
“Don’t worry about it, Reyas.”
Ria spoke with an attitude that exuded composure.
“If it’s just a fortress at that level, we could defeat it immediately.”

Since her words were spoken too naturally, Reyas blinked.
“That fortress…?”
When he looked back towards the towering, majestic fortress, he felt that it couldn’t just be rushed down with brute strength.
However, since Ria was the one to say it, it might be true.
Holding a curious understanding, Reyas nodded.

As a matter of fact, the contriving of capturing the fortress had nothing to do with Ria.
At any rate, she hadn’t collected the information yet either. So if they did something like assaulting the fortress, she just intuitively felt like something bad would happen.
(But it will definitely fall.)
Bearing a strong determination in her chest, for now, Ria turned her back on the fortress.

“Did she notice at this distance…?”
Far away from the battlefield, standing on the branch of a large tree in the wilderness, Ordo muttered.
After accomplishing his duty, he overlooked the battlefield. In that army that followed pursuit, the black and silver pair stood out.
As for the black-haired one, that one could be ignored. His male instincts had no reaction towards her.
However, the silver-haired one was different. Dragonslayer. He was perhaps even unable to be a match for her, the strongest war potential on the humans’ side.
While imagining himself pressing that Heroine-sama down and staring at her, he realized that he was noticed.
He certainly wouldn’t be able to win through normal means. Then, how could he?
“Well, it’s fine. It’s still not the right time.”
They were allied with Ogress for now. That was the demon king’s command. It was in his very nature to be unable to oppose the demon king’s orders.
But at the same time, the demon king was known to be lenient on his subordinates. As long as he’d known him, he had never purged his subordinates. At most he would probably send them away from his sight.
Ordo didn’t think himself capable of opposing the demon king.
Raising his status through battles, becoming even stronger, and then at some point in the future, fighting with his majesty.
His feeling towards the thrill of battle being even like ecstasy, Ordo grinned as he bared his fangs.

Footnotes:

I’m not certain if I’m correctly interpreting this kanji for that kind of magic. Suggestions? 術理 Return

Alright so I have no idea how to explain ‘netori’ in this sentence AND have it flow anything like how English works. Literally, it says that there’s ‘a gaze staring at and netori’ing her’. Return

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